U.S. Marines with K-9s Search for Weapons
by Lance Cpl. Miguel A. Carrasco Jr.
Marine Corps News
November 19, 2004

FALLUJAH, Iraq - U.S. Marine dog handlers and their K-9s searched through buildings in Fallujah for weapon caches and explosive ordinances Nov. 14.

After houses are cleared of insurgents, the Marines, along with the K-9 unit, conduct a thorough search of each building for any weapons and explosive materials.

At the request of the Interim Iraqi Government, the Marines of 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, have fought their way through the city in support of Operation Phantom Fury.

"First we make sure the area is safe for the dogs to work in," said Cpl. Bruce L. St. John, a military working dog handler with 3/5. "The dogs are used where suspicious materials are likely to be found."

The dogs, used by Marine dog handlers, are trained at Lackland Air Force Base, San Antonio, Texas. They are able to sniff out C-4, smokeless powder, water gel, dynamite, TNT, detonator cord, time fuse, sodium chloride and potassium chloride. Once their training is complete, they are transferred to different branches of the military for service.

During one search, the dogs were able to pick up the scent of a 20 mm round and an assault rifle through the steel walls of two different safes.

"The dogs have been big assets to the Marine Corps. The insurgents try to hide the weapons but the dogs are trained to find it no matter where it is," said Sgt. Robert C. Barham, a military working dog handler with 3/5.

The dogs were also used to secure a notorious bridge located in the heart of the city so it could be reopened. Two U.S. civilian workers were hung from the bridge March 31, it was a symbolic push in the fight against the insurgents.

The dogs and their handlers were some of the first to step across the bridge, which spans the width of the Euphrates River, in order to detect any possible improvised explosive devices.

The dogs are meant to make the searches a lot quicker and easier on the Marines. In many cases the dogs are able to get into places that the Marines cannot reach.

"The dogs will be able to help find IED and other explosives before it can injure any of the Marines," said Barham.

These well-trained dogs listen to the commands of their handlers and are trained to sit down when they pick up the scent of explosives or any weapons. There are times when there isn't anything for the dogs to find so the handlers try not to let the dogs go empty handed.

"Sometimes we have to keep them on their toes so we purposely let them find ammunition, it also makes the dogs feel good," said Barham, 25, a native of Jackson, Miss.

Although the dogs do not get paid for the job that they do, they are rewarded when they do something good.

"The dogs don't work for any money but when they make the dog handlers happy they get to play with a rubber ball that they enjoy," said St. John, 20, a native of West Palm, Fla.